The eyes of the entire planet will be on Britain from tonight and for about 24 hours in view of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth. This is the last act of the events for the memory of Queen Elizabeth who passed away more than two weeks ago.
In fact, Queen Elizabeth’s funeral is expected to be the largest gathering of leaders in recent decades.
Specifically, as it has become known, Queen Elizabeth’s funeral will take place tomorrow Monday, which will last more than 10 hours in total, while multiple ceremonies and receptions will take place within the same 24 hours.
The funeral and “the reception of the century”
Hundreds of dignitaries will attend the funeral, which is considered one of the largest gatherings of foreign leaders in decades.
In fact, tonight, Sunday, the reception of King Charles will take place in Buckingham, which is characterized by the British media as “the reception of the century”, with 1,000 VIP guests.
At the same time, the queues for the popular pilgrimage are now approaching 14 hours. It is the last day that the Queen’s body will be in Westminster Hall, as tomorrow morning, at 08:30 (Greece time), it will be taken to Westminster Abbey for the funeral.
The ‘party of the century’ and the mess with Harry and Meghan
On Sunday evening 1,000 guests will be hosted by King Charles and the royal wife, Camilla. World leaders, ambassadors and foreign royals will attend a reception at the palace, where they will also be greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
The kings and queens of Holland, Norway and Spain will also be there. Guests will arrive at 20:00 (Greece time) at the gallery of Buckingham Palace and the royal apartments.
However, it appears that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were not invited to the reception, as reported by the Daily Mail.
The pair are believed to have received an invitation to the event earlier in the week. However, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are now unlikely to attend after officials at Buckingham Palace insisted the reception was for “members of the royal family” only.
The confusion over Harry and Meghan’s invitation suggests communication problems between the couple and the royal family, according to the Daily Telegraph.
The leaders arrive for the funeral
US President Joe Biden arrived in London with his wife, Jill. The President and First Lady of the United States arrived at Stansted Airport on the presidential plane Air Force One, having boarded in Washington on Saturday afternoon.
The couple appeared to be in good spirits as they landed shortly before 10pm on Saturday, walking down the steps of the aircraft together before being greeted by a small group – including Jane Hartley, the US ambassador to the UK, and Jennifer Tolhurst, of the Lord Lieutenant of Essex.
The draconian security measures
London’s police chiefs and medical staff are in “nightmarish” preparations to secure the Queen’s funeral on Monday as they balance the need to protect the world’s top leaders and officials with the public’s desire to mourn their much-loved monarch.
Some have compared the event in scale to the London Olympics, but in reality the state funeral, Britain’s first since the death of Winston Churchill in 1965, is likely to eclipse the 2012 sporting event.
Codenamed Operation London Bridge, the arrangements have been carefully studied for years by the many agencies involved, with the Queen herself signing off on every detail before her death.
Already in the popular pilgrimage the attendance numbers were unprecedented, as they had to stop the queue temporarily on Friday. In an interview with Sky News earlier in the week, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “If you think about the London Marathon, the carnival, previous royal weddings, the Olympics – it’s all rolled into one.”
The police forces operating in the British capital, the Metropolitan Police, the London Police and the British Transport Police began their operations across London as soon as Elizabeth’s death was announced on September 8.
The funeral will be the “largest single police event” ever undertaken by London’s Metropolitan Police, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cuddy told reporters.
“As a single event, it’s bigger than the 2012 Olympics. It’s bigger than the Platinum Jubilee weekend. And the team of officers, police staff and everyone who supports the operation is really huge,” he said.
The guest list at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral
It is worth noting that Reuters published the final guest list for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
Leaders from the Americas:
- Joe Biden and Jill Biden, President and First Lady of the United States
- Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
- Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil
- Paula-Mae Weekes, President of Trinidad and Tobago
- Sandra Mason, President of Barbados
- Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica
- Floyla Tzalam, Governor General of Belize
- Susan Dougan, Governor General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Leaders from Europe and the Middle East:
- Emmanuel Macron, President of France
- Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of Germany
- Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy
- Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland
- Micheál Martin, Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland
- Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal
- Alexander Van der Bellen, President of Austria
- Katalin Novak, President of Hungary
- Andrzej Duda, President of Poland
- Egils Levits, President of Latvia
- Gitanas Nauseda, President of Lithuania
- Sauli Niinisto, President of Finland
- Katerina Sakellaropoulou, President of Greece
- George Vella, President of Malta
- Nikos Anastasiadis, President of Cyprus
- Charles Michel, President of the European Council
- Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
- Isaac Herzog, President of Israel
- Mohammad Shtayyeh, Palestinian Prime Minister
- Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO
The leaders of African countries:
- Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa
- Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of Nigeria
- Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana
- Ali Bongo, President of Gabon
The leaders of Asian countries:
- Droupadi Murmu, President of India
- Wang Qishan, Vice President of China
- Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of Sri Lanka
- Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh
- Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand
- Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia
- Yoon Suk-yeol, President of South Korea
The countries that were not invited:
- Russia
- Myanmar
- Belarus
- Syria
- Venezuela
- Afghanistan
Royals to attend Elizabeth’s funeral:
- Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan
- King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands
- King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain
- Juan Carlos, former King of Spain
- King Philip and Queen Mathilde of Belgium
- Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Maria
- King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden
- King Harald V and Queen Sonia of Norway
- King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
- Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah
- King Abdullah of Jordan
- Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah
- King of Lesotho, Letsie III
- Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein
- Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg
- Sultan Abdullah of Pahang, Malaysia
- Prince Albert II of Monaco
- Crown Prince of Morocco, Moulay Hassan
- Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq al-Said
- Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani
- King of Tonga, Tupou VI
Tags: Queen Elizabeth reception century VIPs funeral Harry Meghan invited .. mistake
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